Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

May 08, 2006 - By James Murray
Positioned in the lower echelons of Fujifilm’s F-series, the FinePix F470 has a retail price of $279 and a stripped down style that emphasizes simple controls and a basic point-and-shoot aesthetic. The F470 features a 1/2.5 inch, 6 MP CCD, 16 MB of internal memory, a 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5-inch 115,000 pixel LCD screen, a handful of preset shooting modes, and a full auto mode. Manual controls aren’t overwhelming on this model, although it comes with ISO and exposure compensation in addition to preset white balance modes. The F470 does have hybrid functionality and will shoot video clips at a resolution of 640 x 480 at 30 fps with simultaneous, though not stunning, monaural audio. With an intuitive menu structure and understated design, the F470 has features that appeal distinctly to the beginners’ market.
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Likes
-Slender and clean design avoids cluttered interface in favor of simplicity
-Clear live view menu design (easy to interpret and navigate)
-Easy to use
-Mode switch allows for fast transfer from still modes to video modes       
Dislikes
-Sluggish zoom speeds
-Loud, audible mechanics (zoom and autofocus)
-Autofocus unreliable in low light
-No manual focus
-Excessive shutter lag
-Slow start-up
-Flash in macro mode tended to produce unsatisfactory images
-Limited ISO range       

Conclusion
Representing the more affordable portion of Fujifilm’s F-series, the roughly $279 FinePix F470 provides a 1/2.5-inch, 6 megapixel CCD and 3x optical zoom lens, along with a basic feature to point-and-shooters at an affordable price. The primarily automatic camera has an intuitive design and simple menu structures to accommodate beginner users. In testing, the F470 displayed reasonable, though not stellar, image quality, but was slow to operate and poorly constructed.

The F470 also lacks any distinguishing features or technology. By contrast, Canon’s entry-level offerings provide full manual control, while Panasonic’s all have optical image stabilization, and Nikon’s have face priority and auto red-eye fix. Even other Fujifilm models are way beyond the FinePix F470, offering higher quality LCD screens, faster shooting speeds, and more expansive ISO settings. Unfortunately, other than the F470’s substandard construction, there is little to the camera that is really noteworthy. If consumers can find the F470 at a much lower price point than its similarly spec’d competition, its shortcomings may be worth overlooking; however, if features and performance are more essential, consumers should take a second look at the competition before purchasing.

Overall Impressions Page 11 of 13 Specs / Ratings
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